Bailer



ay 12, 1936. w TARKINGTON 2,049,413

' BAILER Filed March 5, 1954 IN VljN TOR. JWM/f ATTORNEYS.

STATES UNITE PATENT OFFICE BAILER Wilson Tarkington, Houston, Tex., assignor of one-half to Sam J. Lucia, Emmanuel M. Lucia,

and John Matranga,

Application March 5,

1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in pressure bailers which are usually constructed with a-closed top provided with a relief valve, a casing, and a foot valve designed to permit the bailer to contact bottom of the oil well with only atmospheric pressure within the casing, and to load by means of fluid pressure and retain the load. This type of bailer is effective only in wells containing a fluid head, where the fluid well pressure may be utilized to efiect the loading of the bailer.

A further object of my invention is to provide a foot valve capable of pulverizing sand, shale, or other obstructions in oil well liners and to open simultaneously with the impact of the bailer admitting to the bailer casing a charge of the sand or other material to be bailed. Also to eiTectively close the foot valve on suspension of its lower end and hold such charge when the bailer is being withdrawn from the well. A further object is to provide a bailer of this type with a foot valve made of very few parts and at a low cost. Further objects of my invention appear elsewhere in the specification.

Figure 1 shows a combination of the essential parts of the oil well bailer. Figure 2 shows a larger view of that part of the oil well bailer indicated as Section A, Figure 1. Figure 3 is a bottom view of Figure 2. Figure 4 is a top View of Figure 2. Figure 5 is a sectional side view of Section B, Figure 1.

Reference is here made to Figure 1 showing the component parts of the oil well bailer which comprise a sectional casing, indicated by the numeral 3, couplings 4 and 5 between the sections, a top 2, and a foot valve indicated as Section A. The top is attached to casing 3 by threads and collar and provided with a bail to which is attached a cable as a means of lowering into and withdrawing the oil well bailer from the well. The casing 3 is usually in jointed sections and is usually utilized from the oil well pump casing used in connection with the Well. The top 2 is provided with a longitudinal passage 21a into the upper end of which a relief valve is threadedly secured, as shown more fully in Figure 5. Figure 2 shows a sectional view of a foot valve which is threadedly attached to the lower end of casing 3 by coupling 5, the valve being shown in its closed position. In the valve a cylindrical element 6 is telescopically mounted within the packing nut l and element 8. The downward movement of element 6 into element 8 is adapted to telescope sleeve valve members 9 and I!) to register three valve ports l2 formed in an inner Valve member 9 which is secured in the lower end of cylinder 6,

all of Houston, Tex.

1934, Serial No. 713,995

with the corresponding three valve ports I5, in

outer sleeve valve member l0 attached to outer cylinder 8. This telescoping movement opens the foot valve permitting ingress of sand or other material into casing 3 to be trapped and withdrawn from the Well.

The outer valve member I0 is threaded concentrically into a circular opening lBa in the lower end of elements at I8. Inner valve member 9 is threaded concentrically of the member I0 within the circular opening Na in partition I1 within outer cylinder 8. Inner valve member 9 is open at both ends and slides closely within outer valve member Iii, and is substantially fluid-tight when ports I2 and I5 are not registered or open. Inner valve member 9 is usually constructed of bronze casting to prevent sticking or corroding. The valve ports in members 9 and [0 are held in exact longitudinal alignment by means of a key i 3, Figure l, which may be set into any one of the grooves i9, 20, 2E, 22, and 23 which are cut into collar 24.

The relief valve shown in Figure 5 consists of a cage 3 l a set screw 21, a valve seat 36, a bakelite valve disc 29, and a spring 28, which are situated in the top as shown in the drawing. NumeralZii shows a small perforated nipple closed at its lower end and threaded into the bore hole 2lA. The object of placing this perforated nipple 26 is to provide multiplied means of outlet of high pressure should one or more of the holes become stopped with debris.

The whole combination is attached to a wire line as means of lowering into and withdrawing from the oil well. It is essential that the well bore contain a head of fluid for the successful operation of the bailer. The bailer is lowered into the well bore and descends through the fluid head until the matter to be bailed is encountered, and the lower end of element 8 is suddenly stopped, causing a relatively upward movement of element 8 to the bailer casing. In other words, the weight of easing 3 causes a sudden telescoping of Section A, registering the valve ports in'members 9 and It. The fluid being excluded from the combination in its movement downward until the until the pressure within the casing 3 is equalized with the wellbore fluid pressure. When the combination is moved upwardly relatively to the well bore by means of the wire cable, element 8 is 7 again suspended, consequently the valve ports in members 9 and ID are closed by the suspended weight of element 8, and the material trapped 7 within the casing may be withdrawn from the Well. Upon withdrawal from the well mouth the contents of the bailer are dynamically discharged by permitting element. 8, under the Weight of easing 3, to come to rest upon any solid object at r or below the derrick floor. When the combina- 7 tion is again suspended perpendicularly, the

weight of element 8 again closes the valve ports in members 9 and i9, and the bailer is ready for a repeat operation. V

The relief valve shown in Figure 5 is regulated by set screw 21 to retain a light pressure within the bailer above atmospheric pressure for the successful discharge of the contents of the bailer at therderrick floor. This valve also assists in the loading of the bailer at the bottom of the bore hole, as when element 8 contacts the material-to is only a preferred one and I do not wish to be restricted in its practice or limited in the claim thereof.

What I claim is:

In a bailer for bailing oil wells having fluid head pressure, the combination of a casing closed at its upper end by means of atop provided with a bail for attaching a cable as means of lowering into and withdrawing from an 'oil well, said top being provided with a relief valve adjusted to hold sufiicient bottom well pressure in the casing to efiect unloading at the surface, the casing provided with a foot valve attached toits lowermost end, said foot valve comprising cylindrical telescopic body elements with limited longitudinal movement for theoperation of two inner concentric cylindrical slide valve members, the outer element having a partition therein intermediate its ends and the inner element having a bottom wall, the inner slide valve members comprising one inside member open at both ends and secured at its lower end in an opening in said partition, and one outside member closed at its upper end and secured at its lower end in an opening in said bottom wall, ports in each member adapted to register when the cylindrical body elements are telescoped, the foot valve ports opening when said bailer strikes sand, shale or other material of a solid nature within the well bore bottom, to allow ingress of well fluid and other matter to be bailed, and closing when the elevator is elevated to trap the contents within the bailer casing.

WILSON TARKINGTON. 

